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18 - With Frederick The Great - A Story of the Seven Years' War by G A Henty · With Frederick The Great: A Story of the Seven Years' War

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen unexpected news. The fury of the British cavalry
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: at the shameful inactivity in which they had been maintained
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: was unbounded, and their commander, if he moved from his tent,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: was saluted with hisses and jeers by the troopers. It
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: was not for long, however, for as soon as the
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: news was known at home, he was ordered to return.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: On the afternoon of the same day, an officer rode
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: over to headquarters and asked for Major Drummond. I am here, sir,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: he said, courteously, on behalf of Lord Sackville. He will
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: be leaving for England tomorrow, and I am the bearer
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: of a hostile message from him. I shall be obliged
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: if you will put me in communication with some officer
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: who will act in your behalf. Certainly, Fergus replied, I
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: was expecting such a message. He had already heard of
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the order that Sackville had received, and had requested Major Kerstad,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: a fellow aide de camp, to act for him should
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: he send him a hostile message. Going in, he spoke
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: to Kerstad, who at once went out and introduced himself
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: to the British officer this is a painful business, the
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: ladas said, and I can assure you that I do
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: not undertake it willingly. However, I overheard the altercation between
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Lord Sackville and Major Drummond, and the same night he
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: asked me to act for him when the time for
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: it came. I consented and cannot draw back from the undertaking.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: But I need hardly say that after what happened at Minden,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: no English officer, unless previously pledged, would have consented to
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: act for him. I suppose there is no use in
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: asking whether the manner cannot be arranged, not in the slightest.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Major Drummond told me that he had expressed his willingness
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: to meet the General, and he is certainly not one
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: to withdraw from his word. My friend chooses swords. In fact,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: the use of pistols on such an occasion is quite
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: unknown in the Continental law. As Lord Sackville leaves tomorrow morning,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: we should be glad if you would name an early hour,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: as early as you like. It is light at half
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: past four, then we shall say five o'clock. Certainly in
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: the place there is a small clump of trees on
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: the heat two miles west of our camp. We will
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: be there at that time. So would you object to
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: each side being accompanied by a second friend? I asked it,
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: because did anything happen to my principal? I should certainly
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: wish that another witness was present at the duel. We
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: have no objections, madager Kerstad said, we shall also bring
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: a surgeon with us, and of course you can do
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: the same if you are disposed. The two officers saluted,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: and the major returned to Fergus. Do you mean to
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: kill me, asked after he had told him of the
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: arrangements that had been made. Certainly not. The man is
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: an overbearing fool, and I merely wish to give him
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: a lesson Personally, I should be glad if the whole
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: of the officers are the British force could be present.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: It ordered that he might be as much humiliated as possible.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: But even if I hated the man, and I have
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: no shadow or feeling of that kind, I would not
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: kill him. He is going home to England to be
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: tried by court martial, and its sentence is likely to
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: be a far heavier blow to a bully of that
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: kind than death would be. He has a taste of
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: it already, for I hear that he is hooted wherever
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: he leaves his tent. At the appointed time, the two
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: parties arrived almost at the same moment at a spot arranged.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Fergus was accompanied by Major Kerstad and another officer of
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: the Duke's staff, and by the Duke's own surgeon. Formal
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: salutations were exchanged between the seconds. The dueling swords were
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: examined and foul to be of the same length. There
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: was no difficulty in choosing the ground, as there was
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: an open space in the center of the little wood,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: and the sun had not risen high enough to overtop
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: the trees, as therefore the glade was in shade. There
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: was no advantage in point of light to either combatants.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: Lord Sackville had the reputation of being a good fencer,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: but in point of physique there was no comparison between
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: the combatants. Sackville was a tall and powerfully built man,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: but dissipation and good living had rendered his muscles flabby
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: and sapped the strength, although he was still in what
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: should have been his prime. Fergus, on the other hand,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: had not a superfluous ounce of flesh. Constant exercise had
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: hardened every muscle he was a picture of health and activity.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: The general viewed him with an expression of vindictive animosity,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: while his face, on the other hand, wore an expression
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: of perfect indifference. The uniform coats were removed, and the
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: dropping of a handkerchief gave the signal for them to commence.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Lord Sackville at once lounged furiously. The thrust was parried,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: and the next moment his sword was sent flying through
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: the year. His second did not move to recover it.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Why do you not bring it here, Sackville exclaimed, in
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: the tone of the deepest passion, Because my Lord, his
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: second said coldly, as you have been disarmed, the duel
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: necessarily terminates. Unless your antagonist is willing that the sword
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: should be restored to you. I shall be obliged if
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: you will give it to him. Major buck Fergus said, quietly,
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: A little accident of this sort may occur occasionally, even
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: to a noted swordsman when fighting with a boy. The
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: general was purple with passion when he received the sword
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: from a second mine. This time he said between his
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: teeth as after a preliminary fainted two he again lunged again.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: The sword was wrenched from his hand with a force
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: that elicitate and an exclamation of pain from him. Pray
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: give the General the sword again, Major Buck Fergus said,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: you hold your rapia too tightly. General said, you need
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: a little more freedom and plain and less impetuosity. I
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: don't want to hurt you seriously, but your blood is
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: altogether too hot, and the next time I will bleed
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: you on the sword. O steadying himself with a great effort,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Sackville played cautiously for a while, but after parrying several
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: of his thrusts without the slightest difficulty, Fergus ran him
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: through the right arm, halfway between the elbow and the shoulder,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: and the sword dropped from his hand. Lord Sackville stood
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: without speaking while the surgeon bandaged up his own. Lord
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: George Sackville had borne himself well in several duels and
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: was counted a gentleman, though arrogant and overbearing. He stood
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: without speaking while the surgeon barrened itched up his hand.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Then he said, quietly, I ask your pardon, Major Drummond.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: This matter was altogether my fault. I said that I
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: would give you a lesson, and you have given me
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: one which is certainly I shall know, ever, forget. I
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: trust that you will accept my apology for the words
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: I udded, certainly general, the more so that I own
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: I give provocation by failing to salute you, my only
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: excuse for which is that officers of the highest rank
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: in Prussia always return the salute of a junior officer
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: of whatever rank, and that I did not reflect that you,
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: having many important matters in your mind, may have neglected
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: to return mind from pure absent mindedness and not win
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: any intentional discourtesy. I can only say that I have
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: not spoken of this matter to any but my three
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: friends here, and I am sure that the matter will
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: not be mentioned by them, when it is my earnest
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: request that it should go no further. The parties then
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: mutually saluted and rode off to their respective camps. The
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: story of the duel did not leak out from Fergus's friends,
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: but Sackville had openly spoken of the matter the evening
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: before to several officers, and had aired today had discussed
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: at his conduct by declaring that he wished it had
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: been the Duke of Brunswick instead of this upstart aide
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: de camp of his, with whom he had to reckon
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: the next morning, he, on his part, exacted no pledge
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: from the officers who had accompanied him, but rode back
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  Speaker 1: to camp without speaking a word, and an hour later
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: left in a carriage for Bremen. The news of the
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: account had then circulated rapidly, an excited, intense amusement and
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: the most lively satisfaction on the part of the British officers.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: On Sackville's arrival in England, he was tried by court martial's,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: sentenced to be cashiered and declared incapable of again serving
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: his Majesty in any military capacity. This, the King proclaimed
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: officially to be a sentence worse than death, and taking
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: a pen, he himself struck out his name from the
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: list of Privy Counselors. No satisfactory explanation has ever been
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: given of Sackville's conduct at Minden. Many say it is
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: probably that he was disgusted and sulky at having to
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: rise so early, but this would hardly be a sufficient explanation.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: The more probable conjecture is that, as he was on
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: notoriously bad terms with the Duke, he was willing that
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: the latter should suffer a severe repulse at Minden in
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: the hope that he would be deprived of his command,
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: and he himself appointed commander in chief of the Allied army.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: Few days after the battle, the exultation caused by the
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: victory at Minden was danished by the news that a
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Prussian army thirty six thousand strong commanded by Waddell had
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: been beaten by the Russians at Zelikchu, and ten days
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: later by the still more crushing news that Frederick himself
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: with fifty thousand men, had been completely defeated by a
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Russian and Austrian army ninety thousand in number at Kuna
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Stuff on the eleventh of August. At first, the Prussians
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: had beaten back the Russians with great loss, the latter
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: had rallied and joined by Luden with the Austrian divisions,
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: had recovered the ground and beaten off the Prussians with
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: immense loss, the defeat being chiefly due to the fact
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: that the Prussian army had marched to the attack through
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: woods intersected with many streams, and that instead of arriving
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: on the field of battle as a whole, they only
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: came up at long interval, so that the first success
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: could not be followed up, and the regiments who made
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: it were annihilated before help came. The news came from
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Berlin a letter had been received there from the King.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Written on the night after the battle. He said that
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: he had but three thousand men collected around him, that
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: the circumstances were desperate, that he appointed his brother, Prince Henry,
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: general in chief, and that the army was to swear
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: fidelity to his net. The letter was understood to mean
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: that Frederick intended to put an end to his life.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: He knew that the enmity of his foes was largely
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: directed against him personally, and that far easier terms might
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: be obtained for the country where he added a way,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: and he was therefore determined not to survive irreparable defeat. Indeed,
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: he always carried a small tube of deadly poison on
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: his person. Universal consternation was felt at the news. However,
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: three days later came the more cheering intelligence that twenty
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: three thousand men had now gathered round him, and that
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: he had again taken the command. The loss in the battle, however,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: had been terrible. Six thousand had been killed, thirteen thousand wounded,
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: two thousand of the latter too seriously wounded to escape
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: or made prisoners. The loss of the enemy had been
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: little inferior, for eighteen thousand Russians and Austrians were killed
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: or wounded. Another letter sent off by the King that
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: night had disastrous consequences, for he wrote to the governor
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: of Dresden that should the Austrians attempt anything on the
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: town beyond his means of maintaining himself, he was to
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: capitulate on the best terms he could obtain. Happily, for Frederic,
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: Sultakoff was as slow as moves as dawned, and for
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: two months made no attempt to take advantage of the
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: victory at Kunisdale, and thus afforded time for Frederic to
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: repair his misfortunes. But during the two months dressed and
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: had been lost. Its governor had received Frederic's letter, was
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: unaware how things had mended after it was written, and
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: that a force was pressing forward to aid him against
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: an Austrian besieging army. Consequently, after little more than a
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: nominal resistance, he surrendered when unknown to him, the leaf
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: was close enough. The Frenchman defeated, and in full flight
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: for the Rhine, it seemed to Fergus that it was
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: his dirty to return to the King, as there was
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: no probability whatever of any hard fighting on the western frontier,
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: while the position of affairs in the east was most serious.
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: He was still on the King's staff and had but
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: been lent to the Duke of Brunswick. He laid the
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: matter before the latter, who at once agreed with him
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: that he should rejoin the King. Frederick sorely needs active
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: and intelligent officers at present, he said. It is not
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: by force that he can hope to prevent the Russians
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: and Austrians from marching to Berlin, but by quickness and resource.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: His opponents are both slow and deliberate in their movements,
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: and the King's quickness puzzles and confuses them. It is
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: always difficult for two armies who act in perfect concert,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: well nigh impossible when they are of different nationalities. Down
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: will wait for Sultakoff, and Sultakoff for dawn. The King
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: will harassed both of them. Down has to keep one
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: eye upon his magazines in Bohemia, for Prince Henry and
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: Celesia still constantly menaces them, and not only the Austrian
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: but the Russian army is fed from Prague. Were it
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: not that I am specially bound to defend Hanover from
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: the Confederate army, I would launch with the greater portion
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: of my force to join the king. But my orders
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: are imperative. Tis for Hanover that George of England is fighting,
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: and the British subsidy and the British troops will be
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: lost to the king. Were Hanover to be taken by
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: the enemy, if Prince Henry could but join him, it
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: would bring his army again to a strength with which
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: he could fight either the Russians or Austrians. But their
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: armies lie between Henry and the King. And unless Dawn
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: one makes some grievous mistake, and slow as he is,
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: the one seldom makes a mistake, it seems well nigh
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: impossible that the Prince can get through. However, Major Drummond,
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: you are likely to see little fighting here, while with
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: the King there will be incessant work for you. Therefore,
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: by own means go to him. He must have lost
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: many of his staff at Kunsdorff, and will I doubt
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: not be glad to have you with him. The ride
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: was a shorter one than it had been when going west,
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: for the king lay little more than fifty miles to
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: the east of Berlin. Although there was no absolute occasion
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: for great speed, Fergus rode fast, and on the tenth
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: day after leaving Mindon arrived at the royal camp. The
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: King was uneffectively glad to see him. You have been
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: more fortunate than I have, he said, you have been
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: taking part in a victory while I have been suffering
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: a defeat. I should like to have seen mended. That
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: charge of your countrymen was superb. Nothing finer was ever done. Rash, perhaps,
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: but it is by rationalists that victory is often won.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: Had it not been done, one would have said that
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: it was impossible for six battalions in line to hurl
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: back again and again the charges of ten thousand fine cavalry.
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: But the British division at Fontanoi showed us not many
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: years ago, that the British infantry now are as good
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: as they were on the Marlborough. I would give much
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: if I had twenty thousand. I'm here with my Prussians.
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: It would be the saving of us. Did Ferdinand send
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: your back or did you ask to come? I asked
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: leave to come, Sire, I thought that your staff must
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: have suffered heavily, and that I might be more useful
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: here than with the Duke, much more useful Major, And
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: indeed I'm glad to have you with me. You have
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: youth and good spirits, and good spirits are very scarce here.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: Have you heard the last news? Read no news since
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: I left Berlin? Sire Dresden is lost. Schmettau surrendered it,
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: and that when relief was but within ten miles of it,
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: the place should have held out for a month at least.
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: It is incredible. However, I will have it back again
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: before long, and at any rate, it is one place
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: less to God. I should not have cared so much
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: if the Austrians had taken it. That wretched Confederate army,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: even though they had ten thousand Austrian battalions with them,
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: should have snatched it from me. It's heartbreaking. However, they
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: have but the capitol, and it will take them some
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: time before they can do more. Fink, who had been
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: sent off with six or seven thousand men to aid
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: Wunsch to relieve Dresden on the day before the news
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: of its fore came, did much. He and his fellow
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: commander failed in their first objective. But they were not idle,
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: for they recaptured Leipzig in other towns that the Confederate
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: army had taken him, snatched all Saxony save Dresden, from
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: its clutches. Schimetineau was relieved of his command and never
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: again employed. He had certainly failed in firmness, but Frederick's
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: own letter to him, which had never been canceled, afforded
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: him the strongest ground of believing that there was no
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: chance of his being relieved. His wrecord up to this
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: time had been excellent, and he was esteemed as being
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: one of Frederick's best generals. Frederick's harshness to him was
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: at the time considered to have been excessive. The king, however,
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: always expected from his generals as much as he himself
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: would have accomplished in the same circumstances, and failure to
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: obtain success was always punished. After the dismissal of his
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: brother an heir from his command, the king was not
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: likely to forgive failures in others. The time was a
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: most anxious one for him. He had nothing to do
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: but to wait, and for once he was well content
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: to do so, for every day brought winter nearer every
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: week would render the victoiling of the hostile armies more difficult,
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: and delay was therefore all in his favor. Messenger after
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: messenger was sent to Prince Henry, urging him to make
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: every possible effort to make his way through round the
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: cordon of Austrian and Russian post eighty miles long and
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: fifty to sixty broad that intervened between them. In the evenings.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: The King was accustomed to put aside resolutely. His military
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: troubles had passed this time, chiefly in his society of
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: the British ambassador, Earl Mareschal Keith, and the young Scottish
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: aide de camp, with occasionally one or two Prussian officers.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: One evening, when Fergus had been sent with an order
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: to a portion of the force lying some miles away,
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Sir John Mitchell said to the King, I have been
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: talking with the Earl Myerschall over young Drummond's affairs, your Majesty.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: As you know, his father's estates were sequested after the
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Battle of Clodon, where he himself fell. I am writing
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: a dispatch to Pitt saying that Drummond's son has been
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: serving under your majesty through the war and has greatly
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: distinguished himself, and have asked him to annull the sequestration
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: upon the ground that this young officer has done very
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: valiant service to your majesty and so to the Allied cause,
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: giving a list of the battles of which he has
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: been present, and saying that the Duke of Brunswick had
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: in his report of the Battle of Midden to you,
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: spoken highly of the services he's rendered. If you were
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: a line in your own hand endorsing my request, it
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: would greatly add to its weights that I will readily do.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: The King said, I will write a short letter which
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: you're going to close in your own dispatch, and sitting
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: down at once, he wrote, the King of Prussia most
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: warmly endorses the request of his excellency, Sir John Mitchell.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: Not only has Major Fergus Drummond shown unexceptionable bravery upon
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: several occasions, which result in his promotion to the rank
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: of major with unprecedented rapidity, but he saved the King's
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: life at the Battle of Zondorf, meeting and overthrowing three
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Russian cavalry who attacked him. It would therefore give the
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: King very great satisfaction if the English Minister would grant
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: the request made on Major Drummond's behalf by his excellency
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: the English Ambassador. Thank you very much, the latter said,
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: as he read Frederick candidate. I have no doubt that
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: this will be effectual, Clodin, and now a thing at
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: a pass. There are many Scottish regiments in the English
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: king service, and many acts of clemency have of late
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: been shown to those who took part in the rebellion,
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: and I cannot doubt that Pitt will at once act
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: upon your request. However, I shall say nothing to Drummond
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: on the subject until I hear that his father's estates
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: have been restored to him. As day after day passed,
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: the King became more anxious as to the position of
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: Prince Henry. That energetic officer had indeed been busy, and
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: by threatening an attack upon Dawn's magazines, had compelled the
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Austrian commander to move to bots for their protection, and
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: finally to make a decided effort to crush his active
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: and annoying foe, gathering a great force in the neighborhood
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: of Prince Henry's camp to attack him. On the morning
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: of September twenty second, but when morning came Prince Henry
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: had disappeared. At eight o'clock on the previous evening, he
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: had marched twenty miles to Rothenburg. The retreat was superbly conducted.
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: It was necessary to move by several roads, but the
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: whole of the baggage, artillery and troops arrived punctually the
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: next morning at Rothenburg, just at the hour when Dawn's
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: army moved down to the attack of the camp where
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: he had been the evening before. Austrian scouting parties were
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: sent out in all directions, but no certain news could
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: be obtained as to the direction of the Prussian march.
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: The bandage wagons had been seen moving here and there,
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: but it was four days before Dawn was able to
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: learn for certain what had become of him, having until
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: then believed that he must have made for Globegull to
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: join Frederick. Henry had, however, gone in an entirely different direction.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: After ordering three hours rest at Rothenburg, he marched west
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: and arrived at early morning at Clinton, eighteen miles from
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: his last halting place. Starting again after another three hours halt,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: he marched twenty miles further still straight to the west
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: and fell upon General Weyler, who with thirty three thousand
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: men occupied the last Austrian position to be passed. That
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: officer had not the slightest idea of any possibility of
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: attack from the east. The whole Austrian army stood between
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: him and Frederick on the northeast and Prince Henry on
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: the southeast. He was therefore taken altogether by surprise. Six
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: hundred of his men were killed, and he himself, with
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: twenty eight field offices and seventeen hundred and eighty five
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: other officers of men, taken prisoner. The march of fifty hours,
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: which an army with the whole of its baggus traversed
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: fifty eight miles through a country occupied by enemies, is
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: one of the most remarkable on record, and completely changed
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: the whole situation of the campaign. There was nothing for
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: Dawn to do if he would not lose Dresden and
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: the whole of Saxony again, but to follow Prince Henry.
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: This movement completed the dissatisfaction of his Russian ally, Solikoff,
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: who had been already sorely worried and harassed by Frederick
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: ever since dawna moved away to defend his magazines and
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: crushed Prince Henry, and now seeing that his own full
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: supply was likely to fail him, he marched away with
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: his army into Poland. The king was at this time,
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: to his disgust an indignation, laid up for six weeks
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: with the galop, but as soon as he was better
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: he set off to join Prince Henry. Dawn was slowly
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: falling back, and had he been let alone, Dresden might
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: have been recaptured and the campaign come to a triumphant ending. Unfortunately,
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: Frederick was not contentedly well alone and sent Fink with
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: seventeen thousand men to Maxim to cut off Dawn the
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: retreat into Bohemia, intending himself to attack him in front.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: Dawn for once acted with decision, attacked Fink with twenty
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: seven thousand men, and although the Prussians fought with most
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: obstinate bavery, they were surrounded batted by the Austrian artillery,
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: while they themselves, having no guns with which reply, were
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: forced to surrender. Some had already made their way off,
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: but in killed, wounded and prisoners. The loss was fully
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: twelve thousand men. Frederick threw the blame upon Fink, but
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: most unjustly, that office had followed out the orders given
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: him and had done all that Americauld do to hold
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: the position that he was commanded to take up. And
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: the disaster was wholly due to Frederick's old rationalists in
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: placing so small a force, and that without artillery, where
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: they could be attacked by the whole Austrian army. Think.
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: After his release at the conclusion of the peace three
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: years later, was tried by court martial and sentenced to
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: a year's imprison This disaster entirely altered the situation. Dawn,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: instead of continuing his retreat to Bavaria, advanced to occupy
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Saxony and drove General Dieroch across the Elbe, taking fifteen
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: hundred of his men Prisoner. Frederick, however, barred the way further,
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: and six weeks later both armies went into winter quarters,
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Dawn still holding Dresden and the strip of country between
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: it and Bohemia, but the rest of Saxony being as
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: far out of his reach as ever. The last six
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: weeks of the campaign was a terrible time for all.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Frederick himself had lived in a little cottage in the
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: small town of Freiburg, and even after the armies had
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: settled down in their cheerless quarters, he still made several
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: attempts to drive the Austrians out, Having received a reinforcement
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: of ten thousand men from Duke Ferdinand, these efforts were
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: in vain. The ten thousand, however, on their way to
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: join the King, had struck a heavy blow at one
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: of his bitterest enemy, the Duke of Wertenberg, who had
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: twelve thousand of his own men with one thousand cavalry
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: at Fulder. The Duke had ordered a grand ball to
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: be held in great celebrations of joys at the news
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: of the Austrian victory at Maxim. But on the very
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: day of which these things were to take place, Ferdinand's
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: men fell upon him, suddenly scattered his army in all directions,
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: took twelve hundred prisoners, and sent the Duke with such
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: of his troops as had escaped back to Wurtenburg, again,
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: his subjects, who were largely Protestants, rejoicing usually over his discomfiture.
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: On the day on which Maxim was fought, Admiral Hawk
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: with a small squadron, utterly defeated the French fleet that
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: was to convey an invading army to England. France herself
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: was getting as short of cash as Prussia, and in
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: November it became necessary to declare a temporary bankruptcy. And
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: the King said, in the example, all nobles and others
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: possessing silver plate sent them to the men to be
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: coined into money. So eager was the King to take
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: advantage of any openings the Austrians might give for attack.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: That although Sonya dressed it, Fergus was unable to carry
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: out his promise to account. You the first to pay
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: him a visit, for he was kept constantly employed and
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: could not ask for leave. Early and Abel the King
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: sent for him. The English ambassador was present, but Earl
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: Marischal Keith had gone away on a mission. I have
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: two pieces of news for you, Major, the King said, pleasantly.
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: In the first place, it is now getting on for
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: two years since you did me that little service had Zorndorf,
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: And since then you have ever been zealously at work.
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: Others have gone up in rank, and it is time
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: that you had another step. Therefore, from today you are colonel.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: No man in the army has a better deserved promotion,
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: and indeed you ought to have had it after your
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: returned from Brunswick's army, where as the Duke's dispatches told
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: me you had rendered excellent service. So many officers of
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: rank had fallen since then that promotion has been rapid,
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: and it is high time that you obtained the step
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: that you so well deserved. Very partially so, your Majesty,
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: said the Ambassador. It is like enough that Pitt would
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: not have trouble to take action on my recommendation only,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: and had not been that you so strongly backed my
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: request that in fact it became one from yourself. Therefore
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: it is for you to give him the news as
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: you pleased. The King said, Well, then, Drummond, his excellency
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: and your cousin the Marechal put their heads together, and
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: his Excellency sent a warm letter to the English Minister
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: saying that you had rendered such services to his Sovereign's
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: ally that he prayed that the sequestration of your father's
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: estates should be annull. I myself added a memorandum saying
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: that as you had saved my life at Zondo and
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: rendered me the other valuable services, I should view it
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: as a personal favor of his request was granted. The
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: thing would have been managed in a couple of days
• 32:09
  Speaker 1: in this country, but in England it seems that matters
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: moved more slowly and as excellently as only today has
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: received an official intimidation that the affair had been completed,
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: and that your father's estates had been restored to you.
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: Fergus was, for the moment completely overwhelmed. He had never
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: thought for a moment that the estate would ever be restored,
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: and the sudden news following that of his promotion completely
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: overwhelmed him. It was of his mother, rather than of himself,
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: that he thought he himself had been too young to
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: feel keenly the change in their life that followed colloding.
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: But although his mother had borne a reversus bravely, and
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: he had never heard a complaint to even a regret
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: cross her lips, he knew that the thought that he
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: would never be chief of their brave clansmen, and that
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: these had no longer a natural leader and protector, was
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: very bitter to her. Your majesty is too good, your excellency,
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: and he stopped. I know what you would say, the
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: King said, kindly, And there is no occasion to say it,
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: I only paid seventh debt I owe you, and his
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: excellency thought gave me well nigh as much pleasure as
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: it does. You. Now be off to your camp, you see,
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: said John. Between us we have done what Austrians and
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: Russians have never managed between them. I mean we have
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: shaken Colonel drummonds presence of mind. There go along with you,
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: we have managed to talk over together. Fergus saluted, almost mechanically,
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: bowed gratefully to Mitchell, and then left the room in
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: a whirl of emotion. To be the head of his
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: clan again was to him of vastly greater matter than
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: to be a colonel in even the most renowned and
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: valiant army in Europe. Of the estates, he thought for
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: a moment, but little, except that his mother would now
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: be able to give up her petty economies and her
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: straitened life, and to take up the station that had
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: been hers until his father's death. There was another thought, too,
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: that of Countess Thursday Uhlan. First hitherto he had resolutely
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: put that from him. It was not for him, a
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: soldier of fortune without a penny beyond his pay, to
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: aspire to the hand of a rich Harris. It was
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: true that many Scottish adventurers in foreign services had so married,
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: but this had seemed a thing altogether behind him. He
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: had rendered a service to a father, and they had
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: in consequence been most kind to him, But he had
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: he thought it would be only a poor return for
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: their kindness for him to aspire to their daughter's hand.
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: He had put the matter even more resolutely aside because
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: once or twice the count had said things that might
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: be construed as hints that he should not regard such
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: an act as presumptuous. He had spoken not unapprovingly of
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: the marriages of ladies of high rank to men who
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: had rendered great services to the countries for which they fought,
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: and said that with such ample means as thirst that
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: would possess, there would be no need for him to
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: seek for a wealthy match for her. Thurz there himself
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: had evinced lively pleasure whenever he went to see them,
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: and deep regret when he left them, while a color
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: rose sometimes when he came upon her suddenly. But these
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: indications that he was not altogether indifferent to her, but
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: had determined him more resolutely to abstain from taking advantage
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: of the gratitude she felt for the service he had rendered.
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: Now it seemed to him that the news he had
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: heard had somewhat changed the position. He was no longer
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: a penniless soldier. It was true that drummond estates were
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: as nothing by the side of the broad lands owned
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: by her father. But at least now he was in
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: a position of a Scottish gentleman of fair means and
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: good standing, who could dispense with wealth on the part
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: of a bride, and at a home in every comfort
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: to offer to one in his mative land. That he
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: had to obtain the rank of colonel in the Prussian
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: Army by service in many a desperate battle distinctly added
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: to his position. Thus, in every respect the news that
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: he had received was in the highest degree gratifying. Tool
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: end of Chapter seventeen.